Meet the Founders: Angel Kirkegaard
What drives our CCO and co-founder in the early stages of development and how she envisions the future of Edda.
Can you share a bit about who you are and what your background is?
I originally studied literature, books and writing have been a huge part of my life since I can remember. Simultaneously, I have always been interested in technology and the services that make up our world. That led me to a master in digital design and interactive technology and I have worked within design, innovation and product for the last 10 years. Most recently I worked at Storytel as design lead, and my tenure there will always hold a special place in my heart, because I got to work with two of my favorite things: literature and technology.
Currently, me and my partner Emil live in Barcelona with our two kids, but our “real” home is in Copenhagen. I don’t write as much as I used to do, but I read a lot, I knit a lot and I run a lot.
What inspired you to start Edda, and what's the biggest lesson you've learned on your entrepreneurial journey so far?
I was fortunate enough to get a book published when I was 16 so I have received royalty reports for many, many years and have first handedly felt the challenges that authors experience with in-transparency and uncertainty. When the first initial idea of Edda was being shaped, I got chills. I knew that we were on to something that was significant and what we wanted to do could help reshape an industry.
The biggest learning so far has been to just do it. We have a “go-go-go” GIF in our Edda Slack and I feel this is very much where we are with things at the moment. Doing, reiterating and doing again.
As the CCO, what are your primary responsibilities within Edda, and how do you envision your role contributing to the company's success?
If you look up CCO in the dictionary, my primary responsibility is to lead our commercial strategy, really ensuring we align our product with the market needs. But as everyone are aware, it’s pretty much the wild west in the startup phase and all about wearing many hats.
At this point my main focus is being as close to the potential users as possible, understanding their needs, building relationships with publishers and shaping the user experience that correlates with those needs.
"The biggest learning so far has been to just do it. We have a “go-go-go” GIF in our Edda Slack and I feel this is very much where we are with things at the moment. "
What excites you the most about the potential impact of Edda on the publishing industry, even in these early phases of development?
Without a doubt the possibility of bringing real transparency and financial stability to authors.
The publishing industry has been slow to innovate, and I firmly believe Edda has the potential to revolutionise the publishing ecosystem, helping both authors and publishers. By providing real-time sales data we can empower the industry as a whole.
It's incredibly fulfilling to be part of a solution that addresses such a significant pain point in the industry.
Looking ahead, what are some of the key initiatives or milestones that you hope to accomplish with Edda now and long term?
In the short term, we aim to launch our beta version, showcasing our platform's core functionalities to publishers and authors. We want to refine our product based on feedback from the early adopters and see the positive impact we believe Edda can have.
Long term, our goal is to establish Edda as the new standard for book insights and royalty payments in the publishing industry.
If Edda were a character in a book, how would you describe its personality?
I imagine her as Catherine Morland from “Northanger Abbey”. Catherine is this super imaginative and enthusiastic person, always ready to explore new ideas and challenge conventions. She's curious and daring, not afraid to venture into uncharted territories and question the status quo.
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At its core, Edda is about changing the game for authors and publishers. We are here to introduce a solution that directly addresses the financial challenges authors and publishers face, reshaping the publishing landscape for the better.
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